An Claidheamh Soluis: Sword of Light
by AineRose
Summary: It can be rather confusing to wake up in a hospital bed, and be told that you're supposed to be dead, along with your husband and his snoring best mate. And Lily Potter is confused And she's not the only one! Post OotP, pre HBP. LJ.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter, or any of his friends, enemies or acquaintances. Please do not sue me- I couldn't think of an original disclaimer!

Prologue

It was quite disconcerting to wake up in a strange bed, alone, in a room that smelt like disinfectant and every bone in your body feeling like you had fallen off a fifty-foot building and been trampled on by a raging hippogriff. And that is exactly how Lily Potter did wake up. Her secondary senses kicked in before her brain did and a single breath told her she was in the hospital wing. Or perhaps St. Mungo's, which she hoped she wasn't in because then she could be seriously ill. Some tiny part of her would have screamed _"Potter!"_ If she had been able to, as that was how she had become strangely accustomed to waking up in a hospital bed. So while her brain struggled to wake up and function, she tried desperately to digest this new information and surroundings. She could hear voices around her, and strange sounds, which were becoming more and more clear, until she could make out actual words.

"…Amazing!"

"A Miracle!"

"The Prophet'll have a field day!"

"How will the Ministry answer for this?"

And then a loud voice boomed "Make way, make way for the Minister for Magic himself, Mr. Cornelius Fudge!"

Lily groaned and rolled over.

Not that plonker!

_Wait_, Minister for _what_? She knew for a fact that Fudge was Junior Minister for Magical Catastrophes. How long had she been asleep for? Not long enough for everyone to lose their minds and elect Fudge, surely!

"Quick, quick, Mrs .Potter's waking up!"

A loud murmuring followed and Lily groaned. She blinked but quickly closed her eyes again- it was just too bright! Where the hell was James? Suddenly, without warning, a whirlpool of thoughts and memories shot through her.

_James…Sirius…Peter…Voldemort…James…Dead…Harry…Protect…Wand… Sirius…Stone floor…Veil…Ow…_

She sat up suddenly, gasping for air, body trembling violently. Gasps and clicks echoed through the room as she dissolved into anguished sobs.

They were dead.

_Dead._

James…

_Dead._

Harry…

_Dead._

Sirius…

_Dead._

Dead. Gone. Left. She felt a strong pair of arms wrap themselves around her weak frame and a familiar voice whispered softly into her ear. "It's alright Lily. They're alright."

"Oh Remus," she sobbed. "Oh God."

"Sssh, don't worry Lils, they're alive."

Alive.

Alive.

"Alive?"

"Yes."

"But how?"

Remus was quiet for a minute but a sharp voice broke in. "Alright, everybody out! My patient needs rest, do you here? REST! Yes, you too Mulbern. Minister, are you questioning my nursing skills? I don't care who you are, this is _my _hospital wing. Out! OUT!" A mad commotion followed and less than two seconds later the room was quiet except for a string of quiet curses erupting from the screaming woman's mouth.

Remus, who was still embracing her whispered, "Open your eyes."

He spoke as if he were expecting the worst.

She opened her eyes slowly, desperately trying to blink away the harsh light that stung her eyes. But when she saw Remus, she was sure she was hallucinating. His hair was still its original sandy brown, but now it was speckled with grey; his face held some wrinkles and worry lines and his eyes were old and wise, and full of tears. He was old! Not as old as Dumbledore or anything but still old, at least not 21 In fact, he looked twice his age. She was well aware that her mouth was hanging open but made no effort to close it, although when she tried to talk she didn't seem to be able to form decipherable words either.

"Rem…you look…I…hair…grey…what?"

He grimaced.

"What's happening? Where am I? How long have I been asleep for?" she burst out.

"Er, well, you see Lils; you've been gone an awful long time."

"I know that!" she snapped. "It didn't affect my brain though! And. I. Want. To. Know. What. Happened!"

"You've been gone a very long time."

"Re-mus." She drew out every syllable of his name, and he realised that as a warning sign.

"You won't believe me," he said with a sigh.

"Of course I will."

He looked doubtful.

"I promised to believe every word you say! Scout's Honour, well, Girl Guide's Honour."

"A what Honour?"

"Never mind," she said quickly. "Just go on. You were about to tell me…"

"Oh, well, I, er."

"Spit it out Remus. The last thing I remember is Lord Voldemort standing over me with his wand, and James gone…but you said they were all right, right?"

"Right. Before I tell you this Lils, you have to promise me not to interrupt me. At the end I'll answer any questions. Okay?"

"You should have been a teacher," she grumbled. He smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, alright. I promise."

"You died fifteen years ago."

"What-"

"Voldemort. He killed you. Destroyed the house, and then he…" he trailed off and she knew he was thinking of her Baby Harry. "Possibly, no, _the_ greatest tragedy to ever hit our world in the last twenty years! There's not a witch or wizard who doesn't know your names. And Sirius was sent to Azkaban for the betrayal and murder of the Potters, the murder of 12 muggles... And Peter."

"But…but…"

He raised his hand to silence her. "I told you not to interrupt me. And yes, I know about Sirius, and Wormtail. If you must know he's still alive. Working for Voldemort. Sirius escaped three years ago and found Peter living as a pet of one of Arthur Weasleys' lads. I was teaching here at the time and found out the truth but Peter escaped, and the Sirius, but only by the skin of his teeth, might I add. Anyway, the next year Voldemort returned-"

"Returned?"

"And there was a bit of a battle between the Death Eaters and the Order in the Department of Mysteries-"

"I don't see how-"

"Lily, please try and listen! So Sirius was fighting Bellatrix- you know her, his cousin- and she blasted him and he fell through the veil in the Death Chamber. But you see, bodies aren't supposed to go through the veil, only spirits, so Dumbledore and I think that he grabbed onto you and James as he was going."

"And Harry," she prompted

"Er, no, not Harry."

"But you said they were all alive. You lied to me!" Tears welled up in her eyes.

"No, no, no. I didn't lie! I _can't _lie, you know that!"

"But then how-"

He hurried to explain. "Harry didn't come back through the veil because he never went through there in the first place."

"What?"

"He never died, Lils."

She stared at him, flabbergasted for a few minutes. Remus looked up from the creamy bed linen he had been staring at. His eyes showed a new kind of admiration for Lily, one that had never been seen before.

"You saved him Lily. You died for him, and so gave him life. And now he gets to share it with you," he said quietly

She wanted to say something, but couldn't express in words what she was feeling. The mad nurse bustled back in, carrying a steaming goblet of Sleeping Potion.

"Here you go, dear," she said gently. "Drink it all. Would you like me to get a bed ready for you, Professor?"

"No thanks, Madam Pomfrey. I'll go check on James and Sirius. Drink all that Lily, you'll feel better. It's a lot to take in I know. Don't worry; everything's going to be okay. I'll wake you up when James or Sirius comes to."

She smiled weakly and gulped down the potion, grimacing at it's taste. It was only a few seconds before she felt a comforting darkness surround her and she fell into a blissful sleep.


	2. Chapter One: Harry's Woes

**Title:** An Claidheamh Soluis (Sword of Light)

**Author:** AineRose

**Rating:** PG- may be some swearing

**Updated on:** 25 July 04

**Feedback:** Yes, please!

**Distribution:** Want, Take, Tell

**Disclaimer:** Yes, I am JK Rowling. NOT!

A/N: _Well, I wan't planning to even post this story until it was finished, because I have a big problem with starting stories and never finishing them. Ever. I haven't even got the plot properly worked out in my head for this one. _

_But, I've got amazing feedback for just the Prologue of this, and I want to continue. I apologize if updates are few and far etween, but I can be quite perfectionist when I want to be._

_I'm dying to get this written up now, so I don't have time to write a proper thank-you to anyone who reviewed, but_ **thank-you** _to_

**Phaedra-14 deborahfr Andrea Phynix1 xxxNighteyesxxx minniemae jameslvr Bellatrix Riddle shadowphoenixstar Jellybaybee555 **

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**Chapter 1:** _Harry's Woes_

Hundreds of miles away, Baby Harry was no longer a baby. In fact, he was only a day away from his sixteenth birthday. I would be lying if I told you that he was looking forward to his birthday. He didn't expect anything to happen and was thoroughly depressed at having nobody to spend it with. His beloved godfather Sirius had died only recently, leaving Harry depressed and guilty.

His guardians, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had mercifully left him alone this year, but Harry was beginning to regret telling them of Voldemort's return and Sirius' innocence (though they were under the impression he was still alive). His Aunt had taken it upon herself to peer outside the window every ten minutes. Harry didn't bother to tell her that Voldemort probably wouldn't decide at the spur of the moment to join them for dinner, which Harry supposed Aunt Petunia was most worried about. He did tell her that Dumbledore had placed wards on the house to protect them all but it hadn't succeeded in pacifying her. If he were honest he quite enjoyed it; and the idea of Voldemort strolling down the path, dark cape billowing, a bouquet of flowers in his hand, humming and ringing the doorbell courteously was one of the few things that had kept him marginally sane over the holidays.

He had taken up Occulmency again, teaching himself with only the memory of Snape's lessons to guide him. He was pleased with his progress, and though the dreams still came, and his scar still burned, he felt that the pain had lessened (Of course, he could have been imagining it, but he liked to believe the former).

He had spent many hours outside, not doing anything much in particular, but he always made sure he was back before dark, because he didn't wasn't a repeat of the previous year, even if Umbridge had been the one releasing Dementors into perfectly innocent suburban estates in the hope of getting a fifteen year old boy expelled from school. His Aunt and Uncle really didn't care what time he came home at anymore. Moody's eye had worked perfectly, for one. They were also terrified of Social Services.

The big news of the summer was that Dudley had been_ expelled _from school, for using little Mark Evans as a punching bag. When he was interrogated as to why he felt the need to bully the shy first year, he stupidly responded that he had been doing it to his cousin for his whole life and his parent's had never said anything- that was how he had become so strong!

The school had been so horrified they had contacted Social Services and the Dusleys. Harry himself had been questioned. For the life of him he would never understand why he had defended his cousin by telling them that Dudley was a spoilt, attention-seeking idiot who made up stories to make himself seem tough.

The Dursleys were completely stunned that their Dudders, their pride and joy was a 'hooligan'. Vernon had refused point-blank to accept it and maintained a strong belief that it was a horrible mix-up at first. Petunia too had refused to believe until she met Dudley in the park smoking and threatening Emma Golden, an eleven year old who lived down the road. Dudley had been twisting her arm violently and laughing as she cried and stammered for help. Petunia had marched over to her son and had destroyed his popularity in a matter of minutes. He had been dumped by his friends because of the overuse of the word 'Duddy-poo' and was grounded for the whole summer until he want to his new school (St. Brutus' Institution for criminally insane). Petunia, out of sheer mortification, attempted to salvage her reputation with the neighbours by inviting little Emma to stay at their house while her parents worked. As a result, Harry found himself with a shadow for the summer; a shadow with long blonde hair tied with ribbons and adorable dimples when she smiled. Harry had never believed it possible that anyone could talk faster than Hermione, but he was proved wrong.

His schoolbooks had been stored in the cupboard under the stairs and Hedwig had been sent to Number 12 Grimmauld Place for the summer because Harry knew he wouldn't be receiving any letters this year. Emma seemed fond of Harry, and as she was given free reign of the house, so was he. He could watch telly, and play the computer (even if he was dreadful at it).

He found Emma good company; she was adorable and quite shy at first, but had wasted no time in probing him on his life. Harry had never experienced an interrogation like that of which Emma used. She was extremely tiny, especially to Harry, who had grown another few inches in the last year. Her long blond hair was tamed by two plaits tied with ribbons, but strands of hair often escaped their crimson captors and floated around her face. Her eyes were a sparkling blue, and a band of freckles that bridged her cute nose gave her a purely angelic look.

Harry had learned to know better.

He had never known anyone that size to have such an appetite, and stay so skinny. Thankfully, she didn't believe the rumours of Harry's criminal record, and found the need to defend him in front of her peers (she seemed to think that Harry was unable to defend himself). She had no clue of Harry's powers (though she did confess to him that she still believed in magic).The only close call was when Harry had _somehow _managed to fly a cat out of a tree. He had no idea how it had happened, as he had learnt to control his outbursts very well, except when he was extremely angry, and a tabby (one of Mrs. Figg's that Emma had taken a liking to) called Mr. Wiggles stuck in a hawthorn did not inspire him to _Avada__ Kedavra_ the neighbourhood or anything of that sort. Aside from Emma, his only other companion, Mrs. Figg, had disappeared for the summer and left him caring for 17 cats. So far, one had been run-over, one had been almost incinerated by Dudley and some fireworks, and one had gotten his head stuck in a tin of _dog_ food. Harry, thankfully, was able to restore each one to perfect health, thanks to Gilderoy Lockhart's, _"How to fix any animal illness in ten minutes:-thanks to me!"_

He_ s_uspected that Mrs. Figg was on Order business and did not ask her about her 'holidays'.

* * *

On this particular day he was meandering home from the shop. He had gone to Diagon Alley the week before, which was pointless really, because he didn't receive his letter until that morning. He had managed to change some of his money to pounds because, in Harry's opinion, all the Pumpkin Pasties in the world couldn't compare with a Mars Bar. He had spent the whole month on guard, and he was sure the Order were still following him but he couldn't be sure. Diagon Alley was tense, with tight security and suspicious looks.

He had wanted to buy a toy snitch in Quality Quidditch Supplies, but had to force himself to leave the shop. There was no point, really. There was no way he would be allowed to use it in Privet Drive, and he would have one to use in Hogwarts anyway. To tell the truth, the real reason he hadn't bought the tiny snitch was because it reminded him of his father, and Sirius. He bought a toy snitch instead. The toy was different than a real snitch; it was bigger, and a bright pink to help a seeker practise catching it. It also had a built in homing device when an incantation was said and was impossible to lose. It was much, much cheaper, too (snitches were the most expensive balls). Harry found himself found himself wondering what had happened to his father's snitch. Had it been found like the Marauder's Map? Had his mother found it and made him hand it in? Had he kept it, and it was destroyed with the house and them? Harry ached to have the answers, but knew he would probably never have them.

The day was sunny, and seasonably warm. The heat wave from last year was, thankfully, non-existent this year, and had moved to more favourable countries. The blue sky was devoid of all clouds though, and it was much hotter than most years.

By the time he got to the house, his Aunt was pulling up the driveway, the car filled with food. His Aunt had tried to enforce various diets on her son, but so far had only managed to feed him low-fat foods. This didn't work though because he ate twice as many low-fat foods. She pulled out a plastic bag which was overflowing with vegetables, and ordered Harry to grab a bag and work for his food. Harry complied, out of sheer boredom and lack of energy to argue. Aunt Petunia shot a furtive look down the street before opening the door.

By the time Harry had managed to fit all 37 bags in the kitchen, he had broken into a sweat. His Aunt had taken a rest at the table.

"What did you get so much for, anyway?" he asked irritably, filling up a glass of ice-water.

"The Goldens are coming for dinner tomorrow night," she snapped, as she always did when Harry asked questions. "You'd better be on your best behaviour. No freaky business!" She shot him an angry glare.

"You want me to come?" he asked hopefully.

"Well, they know you're part of the family, don't they? What can I do, lock you under the stairs?"

Harry chose not to answer that one.

But, as he trudged up the stairs, his Aunt's voice echoed in his head.

"They know you're a part of the family, don't they?"

_Part of the family._

* * *

Remus was tired. Very tired. After having to explain Lily and James' death to both Lily _and_ James, he was feeling very low. Closing his eyes, he breathed in heavily and leaned back against the wall.

"Alright, Moony?" The voice startled him and he jumped. Sirius was standing in front of him, wearing a rare sympathetic look on his face. Remus sighed and nodded.

Sirius, thankfully, looked healthier than he had when he entered the veil. His eyes were brighter, and his cheeks hade more colour in them. He was thin, and pale, because sleeping for a solid week does that to people, and his dark hair was matted worse than ever. Remus didn't know if he looked better because of what happened behind the veil or because he had his best friends back.

Lily and James were lucky. Although neither of them looked twenty-one anymore, they were not thirty-six either, and were still as handsome and beautiful as ever. They looked in their mid-thirties but it was hard to estimate because of their energy, spirit and lack of grey hair due to less stress.

Sirius was staring at the ground, and was oddly solemn. He opened his mouth and closed it again a few times until Remus sighed audibly and told him to "Spit it out!"

He hesitated for a moment before looking up, and Remus knew that whatever he was about to say was of great importance to him.

"Harry's okay, right?" he asked quietly, pleadingly.

Remus didn't honestly know what to say. He had asked Dumbledore repeatedly to let him write to him, but Dumbledore had flat out refused.

"I don't know," he confessed. "We're watching him but…he seems alright, considering…"

He closed his eyes, and wondered how to break the news to the concerned godfather.

"Dumbledore told him."

"That we're alive?"

"No…the prophecy."

Sirius closed his eyes briefly and swore under his breath. "And?"

"I don't know. Dumbledore said he destroyed office he was so upset about you…And, well, he didn't talk much to anyone for the rest of the year. And Ron and Hermione think the prophecy was destroyed and that Harry has no idea. They're really worried. We all are. I'm the only Order member who knows what's in the prophecy, and I can't tell anyone and I was so worried about him! What's gonna happen when he finds out, Padfoot?"

Remus' voice took on a slightly hysterical note.

"He's going to think they're really Death Eaters or something! And he doesn't need anymore drama in his life. It's not fair! Dumbledore wants me to tell him today, before it's in the Prophet tomorrow, and the whole world knows but what am I going to tell him? What can I possibly tell him, Padfoot?"

Tears were falling now, and Sirius moved a step closer to him. "Just tell the truth, Moony. Just tell him the truth. We'll do the rest. Harry's strong. He can do it. That's why they chose him." He embraced him like a brother and both men cried softly.

"Oh great, I leave for a few years and my two closest friends have turned into girls!"

James was leaning against the doorframe. His ebony locks were more tousled than ever, and unlike Remus, his wasn't flecked with grey. He wore the same heart-breakingly familiar grin he always had, and Remus felt a sob rise in his throat.

Lily sauntered in behind him and, upon hearing him, promptly smacked him on the arm.

"Don't you listen to him, boys. Being a girl is way better than being a boy."

"You know, Lily," Sirius grinned wickedly. "That's a fair point. I've always felt I was a more of a woman trapped in a man's body. I wonder if Pomfrey does sex changes?" he speculated thoughtfully.

James rolled his eyes and Lily grinned. "You go _girl_!" She frowned. "Is that why you're together in a secluded area of the hospital, _together_?"

James made a face. "Lily! That's sick! You just gave me horrible mental images!" he shuddered.

Remus laughed and pushed Sirius off him. "There's nothing wrong with being gay," he reminded James.

"You're right," he agreed. "But it's not okay if you're my best friends."

"Don't worry," Sirius cut in. "Once I get the necessary changes done, we won't be a homosexual couple anymore. We'll just be a _sexual_ couple!" he winked at Remus and batted his eyelids at him.

Lily and James both laughed at the look on Remus' face. Sirius finally gave up trying to seduce Remus and started laughing too.

Muttering obscenities under his breath, Remus left the Hospital Wing and began his slow trip to Privet Drive, stopping at Grimmauld Place for a while, as requested by Molly Weasley, who was having a hard time believing Mundungus Fletcher's message from Dumbledore that the Potter's were alive and well, along with Sirius Black.

As good as it was to have Lily, James and Sirius in Hogwarts rather than St. Mungo's (they had done so to prevent well-wishers and the Press from interrupting their peace), it was a pain to have to Floo and Portkey everywhere and Remus knew he would have a long night ahead of him.

He wished he could go back to Hogwarts now, back to his three best friends and the warmth of Hogwarts, and not be going to tell their son that they were inexplicably alive.


	3. Chapter Two: Surprises All Around

**Title: **An Claidheamh Soluis

**Author: **AineRose

**Updated On:** 4/08/04

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter, okay! Stop suing me!

**Author's Note: **I'm going on my holi-ers (holidays) for two weeks, so I won't be able to update. But, don't start to cry yet, because I've made this chapter extra long. It's not actually that long, but I'm not in the habit of typing anything over 2,000 words, and this is more! That's all I have to say for now…you can cry now :-)!

Thanks to you all for reviewing:

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****

**_Chapter Two: Surprises all around_**

_It was half-past three in the morning._

_Grumbling, Lily eased herself out of the bed, desperately trying not to wake her sleeping husband. James, exhausted after a hard day's work, had collapsed into bed only a few hours ago. With a small smile, Lily noticed that he was still wearing his glasses, and his work robes. She gently removed the glasses, but left his clothes where they were; she didn't want to disturb him._

_She needn't have bothered. The wails from the other room increased in volume and James' eyes snapped open. With a groan, Lily quickly went to soothe her son._

_The room was dark and the moon bathed Harry's crib in a soft light. Now that she was more alert, she wondered how she hadn't heard the storm outside that had almost certainly woken Harry. A shiver ran down her spine and settled in her stomach. _

_She'd had the worst feeling that morning. A feeling that she had hoped would disappear when James came home. She'd been so worried about him, so worried about it all…he shouldn't have gone today._

_It didn't matter what crisis was happening, what massacre had taken place; they were in hiding, and the Ministry **knew** that! Apparently, that was why they only requested one Auror that night!_

_Lily may have been strong, steadfast and incredibly stubborn- especially when it came to James Potter- but she couldn't have fought with him that morning. With darkened eyes, he had **ordered** her to stay at home. He had almost **forced** her to let him go. And she had been scared, more scared than ever before._

_They were in hiding! Didn't the Ministry care? The prophecy had spoken, all of their futures relied on their son. How could they protect him when they were away fighting, or worse, dead?_

_She hummed softly as she held Harry close to her body, rocking him gently, but she was too anxious and her movements were fast and jerky._

_The sound of the rain beating down outside, of the wind howling against the windows, and of the thunder in the distance, was louder than she had ever heard it. She pulled the bawling boy closer to her chest. It wasn't like Harry to be so agitated._

_A pair of gentle, warm arms wrapped around her, and she leaned back onto her husband. _

_"Hello, love," he murmured softly._

_Lily made a sleepy noise in his arms and Harry continued to wail. She paused for a few moments before speaking._

_"Was it awful?"_

_James didn't answer; he only buried his head into her hair. _

_"The Prewetts were killed last week," he said finally. Lily closed her eyes._

_"Gideon was the last to go…they said he fought bravely…heroically. It took five to each to get him and Fabian."_

_Tears brimmed in her eyes. "James…" she began before pausing suddenly, "…What about Sirius, and Peter? Did you hear anything about where they are?"_

_James shook his head. "No news is good news. I guess they must have gone into hiding successfully."_

_Lily nodded._

_Silence weighed heavy in the room._

_"I love you."_

_She smiled. "I love you, too, James." He kissed her lips softly._

_"I love you, Harry," he mumbled. _

_"Me, too," Lily added. "I'll love you forever."_

_She leaned back into James arms, holding Harry close to her breast. They lingered like that for some time; one of James' hands stroking her hair, and his head buried in her shoulder, close to where she held Harry. Even Harry quietened slightly, cocooned inside a bubble of love._

_And then she heard it. _

_The wind started again, and the rain beat harder onto the roof of the small cottage. And the shiver, the chill that had been coursing through her, returned. Harry started to scream and wail, wriggling desperately around in her arms._

**_Thump _**

_A strangled cry stuck in her throat. "No," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "No…James…"_

_His arms left her waist._

_"I'm sure it's nothing," he attempted to soothe her. "I'll go check it out."_

_He was only gone a few minutes before she heard his voice again; loud and commanding, but with underlying fear that only she could hear, "Lily! Take Harry and go! It's him! Run- I'll hold him off!"_

_Fear clutched at her heart, and she froze. Still as a statue, she almost dropped Harry. _

_Where was her wand? How could she defend herself without her wand? It registered dimly in her mind that she had left it downstairs, down in the kitchen when she was making dinner for herself and Harry earlier that evening._

_Cursing her own short-sightedness, Lily pulled Harry closer to her and resolutely moved towards the window. She'd have to get James' broomstick and fly them out. James would have to follow._

_Crashes and shouts echoed from below her, the sound of her husband's voice, and that- that **monster** fighting. _

_And suddenly, the James' voice was halted, as another crash shook the house. And then she heard it, as she was running out the hall to get to the broom closet._

_"Avada Kedavra."_

_That wasn't James' voice. _

_Oh God. _

_"Oh God," she whispered. Harry stopped crying suddenly, as if he knew what was happening, as if he knew that his dad was dead._

Dead_.___

_"No," she whispered, "No…James…" _

_She couldn't comprehend it, he couldn't be dead… he couldn't! It wasn't possible, it was unbelievable._

_But it was fact._

_Closing her eyes, Lily took a deep breath. She tried to collect herself, her mind concentrating on her son's safety. She grabbed the first broomstick she saw, and ran back to Harry's room. She could hear him coming, feel his presence._

_Panicking, Lily pulled at the French windows, praying desperately that they would open. They were locked._

_ It didn't matter._

_He was here._

_Gliding into the room, Lord Voldemort caused the lights to explode and the windows to blow open instantly. All Lily could see in the darkness was a pair of gleaming red eyes._

_She was completely helpless; no magic, no defence._

_No hope._

_Panic rose inside her; she realised she was crying when she tasted salt on her lips. Voldemort pointed his wand directly at her heart. She was nothing but an obstacle in his path._

_"Stand aside," he commanded, hissing softly._

_"Not Harry," she begged, "Please- not Harry!"_

_"Stand aside- silly girl- stand aside. Avada Kedavra."_

_And a flash of green light flew towards her._

_"NO!"_

_And then she was waking up in the hospital wing._

__

Gasping for breath, Lily bolted forwards in her bed. She was covered in sweat, her hands were shaking, and she was crying.

She didn't pause to think, didn't give herself time to calm down; she just jumped out of the bed hastily.

It was still day- probably around noon- and Remus had only been gone for about and hour or two. Madame Pomfrey was just exiting her office when she came across Lily, pale and shaking in the middle of the Hospital Wing. The wide eyes, trembling body and lost, terrified expression on her face almost caused the poor nurse to drop the numerous potions in her arms.

"Mrs. Ev-Potter?" She asked, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Are you quite alright? What happened? Are you ill?"

Lily turned to look at her. "James," she said faintly. "James. I need…where…" she trailed off uncertainly.

"Everything alright?" James, who had been dozing lightly, had obviously heard the commotion and come to find out what was happening. "Lily?" Concern touched his features as he saw the state his wife was in.

Lily flung herself onto him, holding him tightly. "Oh God, James. Oh God. Don't ever do that to me again, James, don't ever!" She was hysterical, and James gave the old nurse a perfectly baffled look, which she returned in kind.

"Lily," he tried again. "Lily, what happened, what's wrong? What did I do?"

She pulled back from him, stared him in the face and whispered, "You died."

He pulled her close. "Oh, Lils. I remember…but it can't be as bad as what you… …what happened to you."

"I was so alone," she sobbed. "I was scared and alone and you were gone and I didn't have my wand and he was there and, Oh God James, I was so scared."

Madame Pomfrey moved away in an attempt to give the couple some privacy. James held Lily closely, rocking her back and forth and stroking her hair. His voice, when he spoke was hoarse and on the verge of tears.

"I know, I know, love. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Lily."

* * *

Sirius Black was more confused then he ever had been in his life. It had been quite a surprise waking up in a hospital bed, when the last thing he remembered was flying across the Death Chamber; but that was nothing compared to going for a small wander around the Hospital Wing and finding your dead best friends lying in the beds, breathing. It had taken Dumbledore, Remus and McGonagall two hours combined to get him to listen, and to believe them.

He had, of course, asked where Harry was. Remus had looked quite uncomfortable when he told him that he was still with his relatives in Surrey. How could they not have told Harry he was alive?

Remus had gone about three hours ago and Sirius, exhausted by his attempts to seduce Remus had gone back to bed. It wasn't that he was going to sleep; he was just too tired to do anything. A few beds down, Lily and James were conversing in whispers. Sirius closed his eyes, trying to give them some privacy.

To pass the time, he imagined what it would be like when he was free. Lily and James had ordered Dumbledore to fetch Fudge for tomorrow so that they could give evidence against Peter as soon as they had heard that Sirius was on the run from the law. He imagined walking down Diagon Alley, drinking a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks, flying on a broomstick…he didn't know how long he had been dozing before the curtains around his bed were ripped open.

Groaning, he twisted around to see Lily and James beside his bed. They were staring at him, looking particularly apprehensive.

"'S matter?" he mumbled, flipping over onto his back. "What's happn'd? 'S Remus here?"

"No, no, he won't be back for at least another hour," Lily said, clutching James' hand. "It's just…we wanted to talk…to you…about, you know, Harry."

Sirius laughed in relief. "Merlin, Lily, I thought you were going to say something important or profound." Spotting the look on her face, he hastily added, "But Harry'll be here soon, why don't you wait to find out from him?"

Lily looked uncomfortable, "It's not any of the big stuff, just the small stuff we missed. Like, what's his favourite food? What House is he in? Does he get good grades? Does he have friends?-"

"Does he play Quidditch?" James interrupted her.

Lily glared at him, "Is that all you've been thinking about all this time. _Does he play Quidditch?_ What kind of a stupid question is that? What if he doesn't play, huh? What're you going to do, throw him out onto the streets? _Does he play Quidditch? _Honestly!" She went on in this fashion for quite some time.

Sirius exchanged glances with James, who shrugged and put an arm around his wife's shoulders. "We just want to know some things about him. You don't have to tell us much, just, something…anything."

Sirius regarded them blearily for a few moments. "Harry…is a really great kid."

He turned around and closed his eyes, instantly dozing off again.

"Sirius!" they shouted in unison.

"Shurrup!" Sirius shouted. "'M tryin' to sleep."

* * *

The house was gleaming. Literally. Petunia's housekeeping instincts had unfortunately kicked in and, not just Harry, but the whole family, had been forced to spend the day cleaning. Rooms had been cleaned out, vacuumed, and polished. Doors and walls had been scrubbed; furniture had been polished; bathrooms had been scoured; household appliances had been cleaned, and counters had been disinfected.

If Harry never saw another scrubbing brush again, it would be too soon. Of course, even though he wasn't alone in the cleaning, it didn't mean he didn't get the most. Harry, being used to his Aunt's meticulous standard of 'clean', had an easier job of tidying, rather than Dudley and Vernon, who lazily did a small bit, and then moved on to the next task, were left doing each task at least three times. Harry knew the exact standard Petunia Dursley expected, and made it his own. It saved a lot of time.

Of course, even when he was finished, there was still more work to do. The moment he had finished organising the attic (he knew not to ask why), he was prodded towards the kitchen, where a hot stove awaited his sweating over. And sweat over it he did. His Aunt did most of the work, in truth, because she had made everything that afternoon, and his only job was to follow her instructions, which were quite relaxed compared to some other dinner parties she had hosted;

_"1. Let the broth simmer for exactly seven minutes, until it begins to bubble gently. But, don't let it bubble too much, or it will be destroyed._

_2. The beef should be cooked in the oven for approximately one hour, possibly longer, but before the juices start to boil. Seasoning should be added before, and after, roasting. _

_3. The fish should be fried for six minutes, until it has turned a crisp, brown colour, but before it has turned black._

_4. The tart should be placed in the oven exactly ten minutes before dinner is served, at a medium setting. _

_5. Ice-cream should be set out after the starters, in order to defrost._

_6. Canapés and breads should be set out on the table before sitting down to eat._

_7. Table should be set with the Swirling Flowers tablecloth that was sent by Aunt Marge from __France__. Good china and cutlery are to be used._

_8. The centrepiece should be the one that __Dudley__ made in woodwork last year. Petunias and orchids should be picked _sparingly_ from the garden and placed in the crystal vases on either ends of the table. Candles should be lit, but only in matching colours with the flowers._

_9. Under NO circumstances are __Dudley__ and __Vernon__ to be permitted near the food or china. _

_10. Accidents will not be tolerated." _

"Honestly," Vernon complained, three hours later. "You'd think it was the bloody Queen on her way, and not a couple of neighbours with their snivelling kid." Harry had to agree with him. Aunt Petunia didn't.

"Those neighbours will be expecting the very highest standard from us! We're still being watched you know. Social Services will have our heads if anything happens!"

Vernon had winced at the memory of his son's idiocy, and reluctantly followed the rest of the family upstairs to get changed.

Harry followed behind him, singing softly under his breath. _"Happy Birthday to me."_

The Goldens arrived an hour late, but nobody had the chance to mention that as they entered the house.

"We're terribly sorry, Petunia," Jennifer Golden announced, as she stepped through the door, "But we've just had the most amazing day. I suppose we shouldn't tell you this, as it's supposed to be a secret, but we've become such good friends with your family and, well…"

Her eyes were bright and her cheeks were glowing. She handed her coat to Harry, giving him a small smile, and then wrapped her arm around her daughter. Her husband, David, rested his hand on Emma's shoulder at the same time, beaming the same proud smile as his wife. "Oh, I'm all of a dither," Jennifer beamed. "You see, we've found out the most amazing thing about Emma today! We were at breakfast today, you see, and out of nowhere an _owl _swooped in with a letter!"

Harry, who was fumbling with the three coats and several hangers, promptly dropped everything in his hands.

"And that's not all," David continued. "You see this letter, it was from a school. It said-"

Harry found his voice. "Hogwarts."

Everyone turned to look at him. The Dursleys, who had already gone a faint grey colour, were turning steadily paler, at confirmation from their nephew.

"You know it?" Jennifer asked excitedly.

Harry nodded shakily. "I'm a student there…a wizard." It felt quite good to get that off his chest.

"So it's not made up then, it's true?"

He nodded again, still stunned.

Vernon opened his mouth to say something. Harry stepped on his foot. "Moody's eye," he muttered. Vernon closed his mouth again.

Apparently, Petunia and Dudley heard him as well, because they too shut their mouths.

Emma beamed at Harry. "I knew you were different, and I was right, wasn't I? I knew _I_ was different as well, and I am! I'm special!"

Harry stepped on his uncle's foot again, and grinned, "Definitely."

Jennifer and David were ecstatic. "Are you magical, too?" the asked the Dursleys.

Petunia went an odd peach colour, and her husband turned violet. "No," Petunia spluttered. "No…It's from his father's side."

"And my mum," Harry reminded her.

"Yes, and my sister." Petunia looked more than a little faint.

Harry decided not to push his relative's patience, or nerves. There was no knowing what could happen after the shock wore off. That was all that was keeping them from chucking them out right now, he supposed. Shock, and of course, mind-numbing fear.

"Well," he said brightly. "Dinner's about ready, so if you ant to sit down at the table, I'll just bring it in. We can talk about Hogwarts later, if you want," he added. "In private."

**_Next Chapter: Finally, an Explanation! Harry finds out!_**

**_Bye for now, then! While you're waiting why don't you give me review? Come on, you know you want to! Look at that poor purple-ish button begging to be pressed! Look, its right over there:_**

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	4. Chapter Three: An Unexpected Arrival

**Title: **An Claidheamh Soluis

**Author: **AineRose

**Updated On: **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter, okay! Stop suing me!

**Author's Note: **Finally, an explanation!

**Chapter 3: **_An Unexpected Visitor._

The man at the door was pale, and in much worse shape than Vernon had ever been in his life. His sandy brown hair, flecked with grey, fell over his eyes; his simple jumper and jeans were old and worn and his coat was threadbare; his face was lined with pre-mature wrinkles, and he looked like a man who had seen too much. But, the thing that annoyed Vernon the most was that he had the audacity to offer his hand to him.

"What ever you're selling, we don't want to know," he said gruffly, and attempted to slam the door. He was halted, however, by an invisible force. The man placed his hand to the door and smile thinly.

"I'm not selling anything, Mr. Dursley, but I think you want to know what I have to say."

Vernon gasped. "You!"

He recognised the man now. He had been with the boy at the train station coming back from that, that…place!

"Get away from my family," he snarled. He must be here for Emma, instead of that Giant.

To think he had let that _witch _stay in his house. He had let her watch TV, eat his food, play on his new laptop. His insides squirmed at what the little _thing _could do to his house. Having one in his house was bad enough, but two! And now this man had the nerve to invite himself into his house. Well technically he hadn't invited himself in, but waited patiently while Vernon stared at him, before clearing his throat softly.

"I'm glad you recognise me, Mr. Dursley. Do you mind if I come inside? It's rather nippy outside."

Vernon stared at him, his jaw flapping in the wind.

"Vernon? Who's there?"

It was Petunia. She wore a curious look on her face, and Vernon could think of nothing to say to her. The man moved swiftly past Vernon and into their hallway.

Petunia stared at him suspiciously. "Who're you?" she asked briskly.

The man extended his hand again. "Petunia Dursley? I believe we've met before. My name is Remus Lupin," he said, incredibly polite for someone who had just trespassed onto their property.

"Now look here," Vernon started. "I will not permit some abnormal, rude stranger to barge into my house uninvited and…"

But Petunia's eyes were widening, and a strange look crossed her face. "Lupin," she whispered.

Lupin chuckled and redrew his hand. "I thought you might remember me."

"What do you want?" Petunia snapped. "If you want Harry, just take him and go as quickly as possible because we have guests and I won't stand-"

"Get him to take that little brat with him," Vernon interrupted her.

"Actually Mrs. Dursley, I'm here to talk to you, Lupin cut in. "And Harry, of course," he added. "I have wonderful news for you regarding your sister, L-"

"I will not tolerate her name being spoken in my house," Vernon shouted.

"Vernon!" Petunia gasped.

Harry and Dudley had sneaked up to the door, and when Harry saw Lupin he let out a shout and rushed to embrace him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Everybody's okay, aren't they? Nothing's happened has it?"

Lupin smiled. "Everyone's fine Harry. In fact, they're better than fine."

Harry stared at him. "What's happened?" he asked suspiciously.

"I was just about to tell your Aunt and Uncle. Shall we go into the living room? I don't wish to continue this here."

The Goldens were exiting the dining room now, and looking extremely uncomfortable. "We must be going Petunia, Vernon. I'm sure you have to catch up with your friend. We'll see you later."

"He's not our friend!" Vernon exclaimed, while Petunia bobbed her head beside him.

"Wait!" Harry said quickly. "Emma, this is Remus. Remus this is Emma. She's going to Hogwarts next year. She only got her letter today. Emma, Remus is a wizard. He was a friend of my dad's."

"Hello Emma." Remus said kindly to the shy girl. "Congratulations. I'll be teaching you at Hogwarts. I'm sure you'll love it. Everyone does." He looked at Mr. and Mrs. Golden, "I'm sure you're very proud."

"Oh, yes!" Mrs. Golden beamed. "I can hardly believe it. A witch in our family!"

Remus grinned. "Emma will love Hogwarts. It's the best school in the world for Magic. It's also one of the safest places on Earth," he added gently.

"Fantastic! Yes, well, we must get going! Good bye Petunia, Vernon, Dudley, Harry. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Lupin."

And they were gone.

Lupin followed Harry to the living room quietly, with Harry shooting him questioning looks. Vernon, Petunia and Dudley followed them, Petunia in front, Vernon last and Dudley wedged between his parents. He looked extremely disturbed with one hand on his bottom and one covering his mouth. He waddled along, his piggy eyes darting between Lupin and Harry over his enormous hand. Harry turned around quickly and bit his lip to keep himself from laughing. Remus looked at him worriedly, rather like Mr. Weasley had, as if he was mentally disturbed. He offered the boy a small smile. Dudley squeaked in terror and pressed himself up against his mother's bony frame. Petunia shot Remus a deathly glare, and Remus just looked at her with that horribly familiar mischievous smile that Lily's friends had always reserved specially for her.

She glared at him until they sat down on her best sofa. Vernon's face went an odd purple as Remus took off his coat and settled himself into his seat.

"Er…do you want something to drink?" Harry asked nervously.

"A cup of tea would be nice. It hasn't been a good trip here."

"You didn't just Apparate?"

"You can't Appatate or Disapparate on the Hogwarts grounds," he reminded him. "I wanted to travel by Floo but Arthur advised against it. So I used a Portkey." Harry grimaced at the memory.

"But why were you in Hogwarts? Are you really going to be teaching us this year? What's happening?"

"I'll explain everything in due time. The tea?"

"Oh, yeah. I'll just…Do you want some Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon?"

Vernon stared at him suspiciously. "I don't trust you not to poison it," he grunted.

Harry shifted nervously. "Oh. Aunt Petunia?"

Petunia was quiet for a moment. "Two sugars," she said finally.

Harry went quickly to the kitchen, desperate to escape the tension in the room. He dawdled on the tea for some time, trying to postpone going back into the room. Though he was dying of curiosity as to what his news was he wasn't enthusiastic enough to want to return to his Aunt and Uncle's glares.

He made sure the water was perfectly boiled (he stared at the kettle and boiled it twice) and made a quite a business (though no one saw him) of adding the milk and sugar, and putting the biscuits on a plate adorned with flowers. Balancing the tray _and_ opening the door took some time but he managed it finally.

Remus would never have believed a house could be so clean if he hadn't seen with his own eyes. Everything was neat and proper and dusted to perfection. He thought it made his house look like a shed. He had never believed Lily when she had said that she was the messy one in her family (She was so particular!) but now he believed her. The walls were cream, as were the chairs and sofa. The table was a dark oak, and the centrepiece of the room. It was intricately carved and held a vase of flowers on it. The vase, which held many exotic flowers, contained not a single lily, Remus noted.

The television took up half of the wall, and the other half was taken up by a stereo and computer. A mini fridge was conveniently placed beside the sofa, in case Vernon or Dudley required any thing to eat and didn't want to walk to the fridge. Remus shook his head in disgust at their laziness.

Vernon Dursley was staring at him with a mixture of indignation, disgust and terror on his face, which gave him an odd mauve hue. Petunia was not much better, watching him as if he were to commence jumping on the couch with his muddy shoes still on at any given moment. Dudley, the boy, worried Remus. He wondered if the boy had a severe mental ailment. He had never seen anyone hold their bottom as if it were on fire, unless it _was_ on fire.

He cleared his throat. "You have a very nice house, Mrs. Dursley," he said as politely as he could.

Petunia's glare intensified.

"Just tell us what you want to say and then go," Vernon Dursley interrupted.

Remus smiled again. "I'm afraid that that could take some time. But I think it's something you would like to know."

"He's leaving?" Vernon asked innocently.

Petunia nudged him angrily. Apparantly, she wanted to be a good hostess, even if she despised the person she was hosting.

Remus smiled again, and eagerly accepted the tea Harry brought in, finishing half of it in one gulp. Petunia stared in horror at his rudeness as she sipped her tea politely.

He set the mug down and cleared his throat. "I have brought you some amazing, and wonderful news, but to understand it fully you must listen to me carefully. You may know that, just over a month ago, Harry's godfather Sirius was murdered-"

Vernon, Petunia and Dudley all turned to look at Harry. Remus ignored them, determined to finish his story as quickly as possible.

"He died in a very strange situation. You see, there is a room in the Ministry of Magic called the Death chamber. The room is bare, except for an arch and veil in the centre. The veil is an ancient source of magic, which was created by an ancient wizard named Arotes. He created it in the 12th century, during the great war of the Goblins and Mermaids, which resulted in many casualties for both wizards and muggles. Arotes himself lost his love, Niamh and became obsessed with getting her back. Of course, there is no way to resurrect the dead, and Arotes drove himself mad. He consulted ancient sorcerers and gypsies but only made progress in 1178, when he was told of a blind peasant with the power to weave the past, future, and present. He went to the man, and asked him if he could help him. The man, a descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw, crafted a veil that could allow the Dead to communicate with us and create a gateway to the Other World. It was a failure at first, because every dead person tried to communicate with him, and he died insane, trying to fulfil the wishes of the Dead. The veil was lost for hundreds of years, until it was found in the late 18th century, and has remained in the Death Chamber ever since.

"Sirius, as you may not know, had a cousin by the name of Bellatrix Lestrange, neé Black. She was convicted as a Death Eater after the fall of Lord Voldemort, and sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban, the wizard prison. She escaped last year, along with nine fellow Death Eaters and rejoined Voldemort. Last year, there was a battle of sorts in the Death Chamber-"

Harry was looking increasingly upset.

"And Bellatrix hit Sirius with a Disarming Spell. He flew into the veil."

He was silent for a moment, thinking of how to phrase his next sentence. Vernon Dursley was looking increasingly impatient; Petunia was looking as if a light bulb had gone off in her head.

"I knew I knew who he was," she said to herself. She looked up at Remus. "He was your friend, the mad one. I knew I knew him. I knew it!" she shrieked, before becoming quiet again for a moment. "I can't believe he was a murderer," she said finally.

Remus shook his head and sent a glance in Harry's direction. The boy was close to tears, and was paler than Remus himself.

"He was innocent, Petunia. Peter was the one who killed those people; Peter was the one who sold your sister's soul to Voldemort."

"I don't remember a Peter."

"Short, pudgy, liked to eat."

Her eyes narrowed. "Oh, him."

Vernon interrupted, "Is there a point to your story? Because if you are going to threaten us then I think you should know that we've left _him_ alone this year, and treated him fine, thank you very much-"

Remus raised his hand. "No, no Mr. Dursley, you must let me continue. You too Harry, you'll definitely want to hear this!"

He cleared his throat.

"The thing that was unusual about Sirius' death was that he was the first solid being to go through the actual veil, and into the Other World, wherever that is. We assumed he was dead, and prepared a memorial service in his honour. Two weeks ago, a woman called Greta Horrit reported that she thought she had seen Peter Pettigrew in the woods near her house, and an investigation into the matter has been launched. But, I'm getting off topic. Where was I? Ah yes, Sirius! We believe that he did pass through the veil, but as solid matter isn't allowed through, they chucked him out again!"

Harry looked up in shock. "They found his body?"

"Not just his body- him! Alive and breathing! He even looked in better shape than usual! He was in a coma for a while but he woke up about two days ago."

Harry stared at him, hardly daring to believe it. He opened and shut his mouth a few times and then finally said, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" in a weak voice.

"We couldn't be sure he would live. We spent day and night by his bedside." Remus' tone was sympathetic and regretful. "And then the Prophet got word today, and Sirius woke up and had a mad fit because you weren't there…" He smiled suddenly. "He wants to see you as soon as possible."

Harry's eyes were shining with tears. "This is a dream," he whispered.

Remus shook his head. "It's true," he told him gently.

"I don't see what this has to do with us," Vernon interrupted, yet again. "Unless this bloke gets his name cleared and takes the boy off our hands…" he grinned wickedly.

"There's more, you see, and Mrs. Dursley, I'd listen carefully if I were you, and you Harry. Sirius doesn't remember what happened, but we do know that he met someone there, because he grabbed on to them when he was leaving and took them with him. And somehow, he brought them back alive."

A deafening silence followed this statement, while everyone came to the same conclusion. Well, _almost_ everyone.

"Well? Are you going to tell us or what?" Vernon exploded.

Petunia's face was chalky white, and quite matched the off-white chair she was sitting in. Harry was staring into space, and Remus guessed he was trying not to get his hopes up.

"The pair," he said quietly, "were Lily and James Potter."

Dudley's hand dropped from his bottom in shock. Vernon turned a rare mustard colour. Harry closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. He then pinched himself rather aggressively until he broke the skin and red spots of blood began to appear on his skinny arm. He winced in pain and dropped his arm. "It's not a dream," he concluded. "You're lying."

"It's a joke!" Petunia muttered venomously. "It's some sick joke you're playing on us. I won't be fooled by you, Lupin!" she shrieked. "You haven't changed a bit! You're still playing sick, sadistic jokes on people for your own amusement! Well, I'm not surprised at all! Not when you are what you are- a _freak_!"

Remus winced, but remained as calm as he could. "Do you honestly think I could joke about this, Petunia? Do you think I could stand up here in front of you and say thing like this about my best friends in the world. Lily was like a sister to me, Petunia, and I could never darken her name like that."

His words echoed around her, and his face held such sincerity that Petunia slowly began to believe him. She was unable to contain the tears that brimmed in her eyes, and the wracking sobs that followed.

When they had calmed themselves down, Remus announced to Harry that he wanted to leave at once and asked him to pack for the coming year as quickly as possible. He then thanked the Dursleys for the tea, told Petunia he'd arrange for her to see her sister and floo'd to Hogwarts with Harry and his trunk on his tail, leaving three very shell-shocked Dursleys.

The room was completely silent for a minute, save for the old grandfather clock ticking. Then, Dudley got bored.

"What's for supper?"


	5. Chapter Four: Waiting and Processing

**Title:** An Claidheamh Soluis (Sword of Light)

**Author:** AineRose

**Updated on:** 22/07

**Rating:** PG, I suppose

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the storyline…

**Author's Note:** Wow, am I morbid and angsty or what! So So So So Sorry about the total stoppage of updates! In fact I'm going away soon so they'll be at LEAST another month but I was reading my reviews and I just had to post the next chapter! Please enjoy and review; reviews make me write faster! Love ye all!

**Chapter Four: Waiting and Processing**

Harry Potter had been staring at the same spot on the wall for over forty minutes, if Remus' watch was anything to go by. This spot seemed to be located somewhere behind Dumbledore, because he didn't seem to be making eye contact with him, or listening to a word he was saying. But the crinkle in his forehead betrayed him; he was frowning, a trait which usually meant he was in deep thought. Unfortunately, Dumbledore had finished speaking six minutes and seventeen seconds ago, and Harry showed no signs of movement yet.

Remus sighed softly and settled back into his seat. It was unusual for Harry to act so, well, so _quietly_ to such startling news. True, it was a rather remarkable event, but Harry Potter had a habit of reacting a bit _passionately_ to things almost slightly resembling this particular situation. Remus wasn't sure that he believed them, that he would ever believe them. He wouldn't be the least surprised if Harry suspected they were Death Eaters, as he had already said to Sirius, even though Dumbledore had both reassured him, and provided adequate evidence. The problem was that when Remus and Dumbledore, and everyone else had seen Lily, James and Sirius, they had known immediately it was them. Each had an unexplainable presence that could never be duplicated. Harry wouldn't know Lily and James if they Apparated in front of them, not the real ones anyway. Their only hope was that Harry would know Sirius, and believe him. Which was beginning to look rather doubtful.

Seven minutes and twenty-two seconds after that, Remus was deep in thought. Harry was still completely motionless and silent, and the silence of the room made Remus uncomfortable.

He was startled out of his thoughts by a cup which was slid over the table towards him. Looking up, he caught the small smile Dumbledore shot him, before the man pushed a similar cup towards Harry, who didn't notice a thing.

Amazed by the skill Dumbledore possessed, he didn't even pick up the cup. He hadn't even heard a sound, and yet Dumbledore had managed to either conjure up or, even more astounding, _make_ a cup of tea!

Taking the cup into his hands, he swirled the amber liquid around, and took a grateful sip. Chocolate may be magically healing, he thought idly, but nothing could beat a good cup of tea. Especially with a shot of Fire Whiskey in it. He hoped Dumbledore had only put tea in Harry's cup, because the last thing he needed was another shock.

But it didn't matter anyway, because Harry _still_ hadn't budged in the last fourteen minutes and forty-eight seconds.

Dumbledore wasn't doing anything to comfort Harry. In fact, he was acting differently towards the boy than was normal. Distant. And Harry had only greeted him casually when they had first met today. Something was definitely odd. Well, something other than the obvious

But finally, Dumbledore cleared his throat, and Harry jerked.

"I think, perhaps, Harry, that you should make your way down to the Hospital Wing. The answers to your questions are more likely to be there, rather than at the portrait of Phineas Nigellus you have been staring at for the past hour.

Harry gulped, and nodded.

Standing up took all of his strength, and he had to grab onto the desk to keep from falling, or perhaps even collapsing. Shock was taking its toll on him. Remus took him by the arm and began to lead him toward the door.

Just as Remus disappeared behind the large oak door, Harry turned around to look at Dumbledore. He stared at him for a few moments, acting as if he was only seeing him for the first time.

"You would think," he started, in a surprisingly strong and seemingly bitter, voice, "that you would have learnt to tell me things as they happened, and not long after the event has occurred. It would make things a lot easier. For all of us."

And Dumbledore did nothing but bow his head, as Harry strode out of his office.

His head was a whirlwind of thoughts. Beliefs, ideas, questions touched on the surface of his mind, only to spiral away again, replaced by another batch of questions, leaving him confused and perplexed, and more than a little lost.

It was a lie, that he was sure.

It wouldn't have been the first time he had dreamed odd things. Voldemort in an old manor, screaming men being tortured, snakes in the Department of Mysteries- all had invaded his subconscious over the past few years. He must have been doing the Occulmency wrong. He wouldn't have been the least surprised if this was a plan of Voldemort's. Torture the boy in his sleep, and he'll slowly wither away and die.

Was that his plan? To confront him with his deepest desires in his sleep? To give him what he wanted more than anything else in the world every time he closed his eyes, only to have it all snatched away when he opened them again, leaving him cold and empty inside? Was that his plan?

And if it wasn't a dream, if it was all real, and this was today, July 31st, then it didn't mean he believed it still. Dumbledore was known to keep him out of the loop, only telling him the truth when it was all over, when he was alone with no family and a destiny to look forward to. This could be a plan; some scheme of the Order's designed to trick Voldemort.

And if it wasn't the Order's doing, it could still be Voldemort's. A Polyjuice Potion could do the trick well enough- it wasn't as if Dumbledore hadn't been fooled by it before. It didn't matter how many tests the Ministry did, the Death Eaters could probably find away to get around them.

It wasn't as if he'd know, anyway. He'd never met his parents, not really. He couldn't think of a single memory of them that didn't involve the moment of their deaths. Or their fifteen-year-old selves screaming bloody-murder at each other. He didn't even know what they looked like, save for that vision he conjured up from the Mirror of Erised and the few pictures he owned of them. He didn't know their favourite foods, or the Quidditch teams they supported, or their relationship, or anything. No, he wouldn't know his own family if they jumped in front of him and shouted "BOO!" Not really.

But Sirius, Sirius he knew. Sirius he loved.

That was the part that really sickened him.

That they could bring him back, force him to look into the face of the only family he ever had, and expect him to believe them. Expect him to believe whoever the hell it was who wore his face.

But what if it really was them?

That was the question that troubled him the most. What if they were all here? What if he could have a real family? Luna Lovegood's words about the people lurking behind the veil came back to him. Remus believed that it was them, and he was their best friend. Dumbledore believed them, and they had trusted him with their lives. Harry may have been angry towards Dumbledore, been resentful towards the elderly man for keeping things from him, but the fact remained that Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard in the world. And he was trustworthy.

But it was stupid to get his hopes up. He'd learned to stop doing that.

But it was so late, and he was so tired, and all he wanted was to go back to his bed, and sleep peacefully until it was time for school to start again. Until he had to face Voldemort.

But another part of him wanted to scream. Wanted to scream that this was unfair, that he was only just gone sixteen, hell, that it was his birthday! Wanted to shout at Dumbledore, and Lupin, and everyone who was torturing him like this. Wanted to kick and punch and throw until he was so tired he would collapse and never have to face Voldemort, never have to walk into the Hospital Wing and be tortured. Wanted to cry on the shoulder of someone, anyone. Wanted to run, or to fly, away from this place, this world, this life, where everyone wanted to hurt him.

It was so cold in the castle that his breath rose as mist before him. Torches lit the stone passageways, and all he could see was what was directly in front of his face. The flashes he saw through the windows showed a jet-black sky, blanketed by millions of tiny twinkling stars. He wondered which one was Sirius; where the constellation was. The castle was surprisingly silent, too. All the residents of the portraits had disappeared, and all that was left was empty landscapes. The only sound was that of his and Professor Lupin's feet echoing as they walked.

And then they were there, at the Hospital Wing.

Lily was squeezing James' hand so hard it had gone white and the circulation was completely cut off. He was making pained expressions that he was trying to hide because he could see Sirius laughing at him, and he didn't want to admit that his petite wife was crushing his bones. Her eyes were wide, she was biting her lower lip, and she clung to him like a child.

Yes, it was _exactly _like the birth of their son.

At the beginning. Before she started threatening to magic his privates away, and cursing every Medi-Witch and Wizard into the next century, and, _Thank Merlin_, she hadn't actually broken his hand this time. Yet.

James was getting bloody sick of waiting. Admittedly, half of that impatience stemmed from the red-head beside him currently wringing her hands- and his- in worry. The other half came from the fact that he was about to meet his son for the first time in fifteen years.

Bloody Hell, he needed a drink.

Sirius wasn't much of a help, either. He wasn't doing anything except glance uneasily from the doors of the Hospital Wing and back to them again. It was quite unnerving, and if it was any other situation he would have told him to stop an hour ago.

But it wasn't any other situation, and that was the problem. He didn't know what to think, what to do. What was he going to say to Harry? What was he going to do? Being a father took practice, and he was just thrown into this. Sure, he could change nappies, and sing lullabies, and give baths, but he most certainly couldn't deal with a teenager. There was no way he could give manly advice, and talk to him about girls, and other stuff real fathers were supposed to do.

Real fathers.

Isn't that what he was, what he wanted to be? The last time he had seen Harry, well it had only been a few days ago. And he had been playing with him with those rubber Quidditch balls Sirius had bought him.

And then he had come. Lily ran. He remembered the fight, not so clearly, but he remembered it. He remembered the bright green light hitting him in the chest…and then he woke up. He woke up in a world where Peter had betrayed them, and Snape was the good(ish) guy, and Remus was old and tired, and Sirius was a wanted criminal, and Harry was fifteen. Sixteen, he reminded himself, he's sixteen today. Should he have got him something? What could he have possibly gotten? A card?

The idea was ludicrous, but, as Lily once said, so was being a wizard.

And then he heard them, footsteps in the distance. Remus' voice.

"You wait here, Harry."

And then his head poked in. "Sirius, It'd be better if you spoke to him, first. He needs to see you."

And Sirius swallowed and nodded and left to go outside. And James waited for his turn. Impatiently.

**Next Chapter: THE MEETING (finally!)**


	6. Chapter Five: Family Reunion

**_Title:_**_ An Claidheamh Soluis_

**_Rating:_**_ PG_

**_Author's Note_**_: Absolutely the hardest chapter so far._

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**_Just a short chapter because I know people want this as much as I do and it was _**

**_SO hard to write!_**

_Thanks for the reviews!_

_PS. I think I'm going to leave this story as non-canon because it wouldn't fit with what happened in HBP._

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**_Chapter Five: Family reunion_**

Sirius, unlike James, was quite enthusiastic about seeing Harry again.

Then again, he _was_ the only one of the three of them that actually _knew_ him.

And that thought stopped him in his tracks.

Sirius had never, for one moment, believed that Lily and James didn't know Harry. He had always believed……_known_, they were watching over them all from somewhere up in the clouds. That they were watching over Harry when he couldn't be there for him. And even though he couldn't remember anything about what happened behind the veil, he had only been there for a fraction of the time that Lily and James had. Surely they remembered _something._

But they didn't. It was obvious really- all the questions they asked about Harry were genuinely sincere.

And Sirius wondered what it was like to have never have known your own son.

To have never known Harry Potter.

Of course, he hadn't known him for years. But these last three years were some of the best in his life, and Harry was the sole reason for that. A lump formed in his throat and he suddenly didn't want to go out. He turned around to look at James and Lily, who gave him curious looks. It was funny, he could actually hear their voices in his head: _"What's he waiting for?"_

He turned back to the door and strolled out. What indeed?

Harry was almost hiding behind Lupin. His mouth fell open when Sirius entered, and he gulped. Sirius stopped once more in his tracks. Silence followed. Each stared at the other.

Remus, who seemed uncomfortable, shuffled his feet a bit.

Harry and Sirius stared at each other, eyes locked. And then Harry broke contact. Sirius hoped it was a good sign. Harry looked at Remus questioningly, who nodded, and Harry took a small step forward. Sirius followed suit and the next thing he knew he was embracing his godson.

Harry buried his head in his shoulder and Sirius felt him shaking. He didn't know if he was crying or not. What he did know was that he, himself was making rather sob-like noises, and his breath was coming in short gasps. He buried his face in Harry's hair, and for a brief few seconds, let the tears fall.

Remus' hand gripped his shoulder a few minutes later, and stared grimly at him. Sirius nodded; he knew what he had to do, knew that Remus had done his part up to here.

"C'mon Harry." His voice was gruff, "There's some people you have to meet."

And he steered the boy into the Hospital Wing before either had time to prepare, or worse, think about what they were doing. They both may have run in the opposite direction if they let themselves think.

James and Lily were waiting for them.

Lily was a bundle of nerves. Her mind was so confused; she had no idea what to think or do, what was happening to her. Her whole world had fallen apart while she had been gone, and then stitched together haphazardly by some mad seamstress.

James beside her was just as bad. He was standing stiffly, his jaw clenched in a manner that showed plainly that all he wanted to do was run and hide. He was nervous, obviously so, fidgeting and shuffling his feet in a way that irritated Lily no end. She just wanted to grab ahold of him and make him stop moving about. She squeezed his hand tighter.

The door opened, and Sirius walked in, gripping a black-haired, green-eyed teenager by the shoulders. He was tall enough, with the same black tousled hair that he had been born with, and his father before him. His eyes were the exact same colour as hers, but of course, she had already known that. From a distance, he looked so identical to James that for a second she thought she had been transported back in time.

But of course, when she took that single step closer, she saw the differences. He had a lightening scar on his forehead. That was unusual. New. And he had a slouch in his posture that James, with his overly-large, confident head had never had. She had always maintained that the egotistical size of James Potter's head balanced off his body so that he always walked in that confident, balanced way that she never could.

She glanced at James. He was staring at their son, mouth wide open. They began to move towards him, but unlike Sirius, neither rushed to embrace the other. In fact, when they met, the four of them just stared at each other awkwardly.

Sirius cleared his throat. "Er- well….Harry, meet your parents. Lily, James, meet your son. I-er- I think you'll find you have much in common…I'll leave you alone to –ah- catch up…See ya!"

And he fled.

James groaned audibly. From behind the door they could hear Remus talking to Sirius. Then there was a loud clatter, followed by an irate, "Bloody Hell, Lupin! That hurt!" And then a loud string of curses. Remus' voice returned with a sharp edge to it.

Then there was silence and the sound of retreating footsteps.

James was the first to move forward, not because he felt he could, but because his wife poked him rather painfully in the back and he stumbled not-so-gracefully forward. "Um….hi…Harry… I'm your father…I mean; well I guess you already knew that but y'know... And this is your mother, Lily, which you also knew and well, I know you're probably a bit confused but… Christ, this is hard!" he ran his fingers through his hair, and grinned nervously. "So…hi."

Harry stared at him. A lump formed in his throat. "Hello," he said quietly, for lack of anything else to say.

Lily stepped forward. She stood in front of her only son and opened her mouth.

No sound came out. She tried again. Once again she emitted no sound. So in a bold move she took another step forward and embraced him. Harry, lost and confused, found himself his mother's arms for the first time he could ever remember.

"Oh my baby," she cried. "Oh, my poor child, Harry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I left you…we left you. My baby, all grown up. I'm so very sorry….." He words were lost as she held her child tighter, and James, feeling left out, joined them in a tearful reunion.

Sirius and Remus watched from the door, for once unashamed of the tears they were both letting slip down their cheeks.

**_Well, I know its short but it was really really hard to write and I'm still not sure that I'm satisfied with it. The next chapter will have a bit more getting-to-know-each-other, and Ron and Hermione find out! Hopefully it should be up in the next few weeks!_**

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**_Oh, and if you want to leave a review, don't be shy!_**

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**_Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated; flames aren't. You know the difference!_**

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**_Until next time!_**


	7. Chapter Six: Silence

**Title:** An Claidheamh Soluis

**Chapter Summary:** Not much, actually. Lots of talking and awkward silences…

**A/N:** Sosorry for the delay. I've been sick and getting sicker. Hope you like!

**Chapter Six**

"I cried, Moony. I actually _cried_. I'm so ashamed!" Sirius dropped his head into his hands dramatically and sighed loudly.

"You know Padfoot; there _are_ situations where it is socially acceptable to burst into tears. If this kind of situation had _ever_ happened before, I'm sure it would be right up there with weddings and funerals," Remus consoled him tiredly, handing the red-eyed convict a cup of tea that he gratefully accepted.

"You're just saying that because you cried too." Sirius took a sip of the tea and winced as the burning aftertaste of Firewhiskey scalded his already aching throat. "Oh Merlin, imagine if Snape ever found out! All five of us there in the Hospital Wing, bawling like little girls!"

Lupin rolled his eyes, but said nothing. He knew from experience of Sirius' behaviour that he was focusing on something trivial in order to hide from focusing on the bigger issue. He himself found himself doing it more and more these days.

A silence descended upon the room; not awkward, but not exactly comfortable either.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Sirius' brow was creased in an expression of deep thought.

"We can only hope," Remus replied.

Sirius' eyes lifted from the plush carpet to meet his friend's eyes. "That's not a very helpful answer, Moony."

"Well, I don't know," Remus sighed. "I mean, we all assumed they would, didn't we. We all thought, if Lily and James were here, they'd know what to do. They'd know what to say to Harry about such-and-such a problem. They could help us. But what if they can't? We, along with the entire Wizarding World made them into these mysterious, powerful enigmas! We forgot the real James and Lily and played along with the idea of "The Potters" and "The Boy Who Lived"! They might hate Harry, or he might hate them! It might be too late for them to ever be a family!"

This statement was met by another very significant silence.

"You know what hurts the most?" Sirius broke the silence once again with a quiet mutter and a troubled expression. "All this time, all the time I spent in Azkaban, I… I believed they were here. Watching us. Watching Harry. Taking care of him when I couldn't be there to fulfil their wishes. But they don't have a clue.

"I talked to James every night in Azkaban. Told him how I felt, told him of my plans. And he doesn't know. He was really gone. When they came back, when we came back, that's when I realised it. And God, Moony, it was like losing them all over again. Even though they were right beside me, I started to grieve for them. Does that even make sense?"

Remus was quiet, pensive. "No," he answered finally. "But then again, none of this makes sense." He looked up at the large grandfather clock on the wall. "I guess," he sighed. "We'll have to wait and see how things pan out."

"Hear hear," Sirius muttered, sloshing his tea around in the cup. "Moony?"

"Yes?"

"Got any more of that Firewhiskey?"

After their tearful reunion, Lily, James and Harry sat down on James' bed in the Hospital Wing to talk.

But they didn't.

What they actually did was sit in the most awkward silence any of them had ever experienced. Nobody wanted to look at each other.

"Well," James cleared his throat. "Harry, I'm sure you have questions."

"Er, yeah." Harry thought hard. "The problem is I don't seem to be able to think of any of them right now."

"Yes, well, that can often happen," Lily said wisely.

"Yeah," Harry replied, staring at the floor.

"Well, when you think of them, we'll be glad to answer them, anytime."

Harry nodded his thanks.

And that horrible silence returned.

"So Harry," James started, leaning across his wife to meet his son's eyes. "Do you play Quidditch?"

Lily smacked him angrily across the back of his head. But it was too late; Harry's face had lit up.

_Once again_, James thought happily, _Quidditch has proved to be the saviour of us all!_

** BACK FROM THE DEAD!**

_The Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge confirmed late last night that James and Lily Potter, along with escaped convict Sirius Black have returned to the Wizarding World _alive_. Although thought by many as a tactless prank, or scheme by He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, the Minister has confirmed that the Ministry believes it to be the real people._

_Most readers will remember the death of the Potters almost fifteen years ago because it led to the downfall of the Dark Lord when he killed these two parents of young Harry Potter. Harry, who is of course a loyal reader of the "Daily Prophet", killed the Dark Lord only minutes later. Sirius Black was once close friends with the Potters, but was convicted of the murder of twelve Muggles and Peter Pettigrew only days after You-Know-Who fell. He served twelve years sentence in Azkaban before escaping three years ago. Black has since been found innocent of all charges by the Wizengamot in the last month. He joined the Order of the __Phoenix__ and partook in the battle that occurred in the Department of Mysteries last June. Little is known of this battle but we knew that he was blasted through the Veil that hangs in the Death Chamber. Rumours of this veil are widespread but nothing has ever been confirmed as to its power. Black insists he doesn't remember what happened after he fell through the veil, and only came to when he woke up in the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry several days after he and the living, breathing bodies of Lily Helena Evans Potter and James David Potter were found on the floor of the Death Chamber._

_Possible side-effects of the miraculous event of this event are not yet known. Black seems to look the same, but the Potters were the most unusual. There has been no report given by the Ministry of Magic as to how these three managed to find their bodies and it is rumoured that James and Lily's bodies have little aged, though the extent of this is not known._

_It is also not known if this was a once-off event of if this veil can actually be used to raise the dead…_

_Continued on pages 2, 3, 6_

_Page 4: What we know about the Veil_

_Page 7: Harry Potter's interview about the Dark Lord last year_

_Page 8: Interview with Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic._

Dumbledore looked up from his paper, and sighed. This wasn't good.

He hadn't even had time to tell the Weasleys yet.

It was a normal day at The Burrow.

It was also breakfast, and as it was another normal day, the house was in complete and utter chaos! Bill had Apparated home the week before, to the unending joy of his mother, but unfortunately he brought his new fiancée Fleur with him, which didn't exactly excite anyone in the house.

Fleur was a bit, er, _different_ from the Weasleys.

The boys (Fred, George and Ron) _adored_ her, of course, and after a few days they got used to her and even stopped gaping! Even Mr. Weasley seemed to be under her spell, though not as strongly as his sons. Ginny and Hermione (who arrived the same day Fleur did) had taken to calling her _Phlegm _behind her back and using false French accents whenever she was out of earshot. When she was around though, they were angels, smiling sweetly (even when she talked to Ginny as if she was a toddler and made one very snide remark concerning the bushiness of Hermione's hair).

Fred and George had been staying in the flat over their shop in Diagon Alley, but after several entrepreneurs including Ollivander and Florean Fortescue disappeared, their mother had ordered them home, and secretly they were more than glad to do so. Charlie was abroad on Order business, and Arthur worked 18-hour shifts some days working for the Ministry. _Somehow_, Fudge had managed to survive another election (though nobody had the slightest idea how) against Rufus Scrimgeour and was working the Ministry hard to uphold all his election promises, the main one being that he would stop Voldemort and his followers. Percy still remained the "huge pile of owl droppings" that he was (to quote one Fred Weasley) and refused to make contact with his family.

And as Ron, Hermione and Ginny spent most of the time they could away from the house, and Bill was away working in Gringotts most of the time, Molly Weasley was almost always left with Fleur.

She tried very hard to feel happy for her son, for he was obviously head over heels in love, but the problem was the Fleur was _such_ high-maintenance She frequently complained about the English weather, food, company and lack of things to do, which irritated Molly no end. And she dealt with this as she always did, by taking it out on other people, and shouting at innocent (though there never was such a thing, in Fred and George's case) bystanders.

Today, Ph-Fleur was complaining about the lack of beauty parlours in the English countryside. "I do not unzerstaand! En France, we 'ave zese beautifying places everywhere! Ze Eenglish people do need zem so very much! Just theenk what you could do with your hair, Hermione, if you gave it ze proper attention!"

Hermione gave a forced smiled and stabbed her eggs rather violently.

"Et tu, Molly? Eet is not right for a woman of your age to look so, so, how you say? Tired et…dishevelled!"

Mrs. Weasley slammed a plate in front of Ron, her expression livid.

"And Ginevra, yo-" But whatever Fleur thought was wrong with Ginny they never got the chance to find out. Two owls swooped down, one with a Hogwarts crest on it, the other being the owl that delivered the Daily Prophet daily.

Molly took the letter from the Hogwarts owl, frowning as she did so, because Hogwarts letters always came in bulk, and not for another few weeks.

"It's from Dumbledore," she said shakily. And so it was.

Her eyes scanned it quickly, lips pursed.

Molly looked up several minutes later to see the owl that delivered the Daily Prophet desperately dodging the eight pairs of hands trying to grab it.

"Mum, will you pay this bloody bird please? It won't give us the paper until then!"

Molly threw the window open and directed the bird outside, instructing it to come back tomorrow with both editions. She turned around to see everyone staring at her in confusion (they even stopped eating!).

"Read the letter," she ordered them tiredly, and sat down to finally eat her own breakfast.

Arthur, to save time, read the letter aloud.

_"Molly and Arthur,_

_ I will be arriving at your house at a quarter past eleven this morning. Please remove the Anti-Apparation wards at exactly that time. I have important news for you all. Please do not read the Daily Prophet until I have told you this news. I cannot stress how important this is! DO NOT read the Prophet! _

_ Yours sincerely,_

_ Albus Dumbledore._

_PS. Ask me what my favourite fruit is. The answer is mango."_

"Well, that doesn't sound good, does it?" Bill looked worried.

"Something must have happened," Fred said.

"Something bad enough that he wants to tell us personally," George decided.

"Do you think….maybe it's about Harry?" Ginny's comment caused a solemn silence.

"It could just be," Molly tried to comfort them, "that the Prophet got its facts wrong- and it wouldn't be the first time! - and Dumbledore wants us to know the truth instead of the garbled version!"

This pronouncement was met with much chatter and voicing of opinions but it didn't matter because by that time it was thirteen minutes past eleven and Molly and Arthur jumped up to take down the wards.

At exactly fifteen minutes past, Dumbledore appeared. He smiled pleasantly and greeted everybody personally, though Molly did notice that he looked rather tired and worn out. She wasted no time in telling him so, and then proceeded to sit him down in the finest chair in the house and make him a cup of tea (after, of course, he had announced his undying love for mangoes).

"Thank you, Molly. You know, I find that nobody makes a good tea quite like you do!" Mrs. Weasley blushed at his praise, to the amusement of her sons.

But Dumbledore's face soon turned grave.

"I'm afraid I have some rather startling news for you. If you please, I ask that you listen carefully and do not interrupt me, because it is a rather confusing story and I'd prefer that you would listen to it first and then ask questions."

And he started to explain the miraculous events of the past week.

"So they'll be here tomorrow?" Harry had left his parents twenty minutes beforehand when they became tired. To say that the meeting hadn't been awkward would be a lie. In fact, awkward is the only word that could be possibly used to describe it. Any conversation they made was mostly light, and filled with uncomfortable silences that stretched on for what seemed like hours.

But Harry had to admit that he had never been happier in his life. A new warm glow filled his insides; a new hope. He would never have to go back to the Dursleys, never have to be lonely. He had a real family now.

"Yes," Dumbledore assured him. "They should be here around noon, I suppose."

And even if it was a family that he didn't know, he was confident that they would become more comfortable with each other. He could imagine it must be strange for his parents, too. Last night, as far as they were concerned, they had a one-year old baby. Now they had a sixteen year old. That would be hard for anyone to take in.

"Where's Sirius?" he asked, trying to control the excitement in his voice. It seemed so long ago that they had last talked comfortably; he had so much to tell him!

Dumbledore smiled gently. "I believe he had the same idea as your parents and went back to bed. This is the first day they've been up for so long, and they are all very weak and easily tired. You can see him in the morning." Harry knew that his Headmaster was telling him, in his own roundabout way, not to exhaust them. "Now, I believe you must be very tired. The house-elves have brought up your trunk, so you can be the first person in Hogwarts to return to your dormitory. I would imagine it would be strangely quiet, but I'm sure you'll find you'll have space to think."

Harry nodded dumbly, completely lost in thought.

"Goodnight, Harry," Dumbledore told him softly, and swept past, disappearing before Harry realised he had gone.

"'Night, Professor," Harry whispered to the empty space where Dumbledore had stood, when he emerged as if from a trance several minutes later.

Thinking to himself that he'd better get a hold of himself, he made his way to the Gryffindor Common Room. In fact, he was so busy thinking that he should concentrate, he forgot to actually concentrate, and passed Peeves, the Bloody Baron, Moaning Myrtle, and several dancing suits of armour without even noticing. He jumped when he realised he had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. Then he realised with a groan that he didn't know the password.

"Oh, it's alright, dear, they told me you were coming! It is wonderful news about your parents, isn't it! And even that Sirius Black, even….even if he goes around defacing irreplaceable art! (at this point she shuddered as if she was remembering some sort of indescribable torture. Then again she probably was.) But, Dumbledore says it was all a misunderstanding and I'm quite willing to believe him, because the Sirius Black I knew when he was a student here would never have done something so, so _horrible_ and disgusting and, you know, he was a _wild_ child when he was here. Him and his friends…."

And Harry, without the password to shut her up for once, was left standing there for quite some time, waiting for her to remember to let him in.

But after this quite significant amount of time, when Harry finally got into the Common Room and by himself for the first time in over a day, he found he didn't want to be alone at all. Though his dormitory was a welcoming sight, and his bed looked more inviting than it ever had, it was just plain strange to be without Ron, and, well, all of the Gryffindors, really. He didn't even get into his bed; instead he grabbed a blanket and went down to the Common Room to think.

There was no way he would be sleeping that night.


	8. Chapter Seven: Proper Reunion

**I am SO sorry for the horribly horribly long wait! I feel so bad! I would give you all my excuses about this being the hardest, worst year of my life but I'm not going to. I'll just get onto the story. It's not moving too fast I know, but there's a lot of emotional weight to wade through, and lot more to come. I don't like the end of this chapter, it's too rushed, but overall I like tone of it. I hope I can write again soon, but the way my life is going at the moment...and it's only going to get worse...but anyway, here's Chapter Seven. Hope you enjoy it!**  


Chapter Seven: Sirius and Harry's Proper Reunion  


Last Chapter:

_But after this quite significant amount of time, when Harry finally got into the Common Room and by himself for the first time in over a day, he found he didn't want to be alone at all. Though his dormitory was a welcoming sight, and his bed looked more inviting than it ever had, it was just plain strange to be without Ron, and, well, all of the Gryffindors, really. He didn't even get into his bed; instead he grabbed a blanket and went down to the Common Room to think. _

_There was no way he would be sleeping that night._

* * *

The house-elves had mercifully lit a fire for him, and even though it had long ago died down, there were still some dying embers left. These proved to be perfect for Harry, as he stared into them and thought. And thought some more. In truth, he was so confused that he wasn't able to think properly at all.

_His parents._

_Parents._

_Alive._

Even this was too much to take in. The very people he had seen in the Mirror of Erised so many years ago, the ones he had longed for more than anything in the world, were back. Home. With him.

He leaned back against the armchair behind him (he was sitting cross-legged on the floor) and looked out the window. He was startled to see that the first rays of sunlight were seeping through. Had he been lost in thought for so long? Had he dozed off at some point? He must have, there was no way he had been staring at the fire for five hours.

The sky, he mused absently, was like his life. Before, it had been dark, and lonely. Now, even though some of the darkness was still there, he could see hope for the future shining through. His life would be better now, he knew it. His parents were here. They would protect him, help him.

_His parents._

_Lily and James Potter._

His _Parents._

Harry thought he might be violently ill.

"The point is," Lily said. "Is that we are apparently thirty-something years old. _Thirty_! You would think that by the time I had reached thirty-something years old I would be able to _get some bloody sleep!"_

"You know, Lily, if you actually stopped snoring, some of us might actually be able to sleep!"

James groaned. One week, that was all it had lasted. One week of blissful silence before they started again.

"I DO NO SNORE, BLACK!"

The rustling sound that undoubtedly signified a wand being drawn.

"DO I, JAMES?"

James didn't even bother to open his eyes. It couldn't be earlier than eight o' clock. Eight! He rubbed at his eyes, searching for his glasses on the bedside locker to his right.

"'Course not, dear."

In truth, it was more of a high-pitched whistle. Sirius shot glares at him behind Lily's back. James knew he had just probably broken some Very Important Friendship Rule, but Sirius should know that he couldn't be held responsible for what he said at- he glanced at his watch-

"HALF-PAST FIVE! STOP ARGUING ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO SLEEP AND GO BACK TO BED!"

The combined shouts of his wife and his best friend bounced off the walls. James groaned and turned on his side, trying in vain to ignore them.

"I don't snore; I don't know what you're talking about! You're the one muttering on all night about hippogriffs and Quidditch!"

"Don't snore? You sound like one of those Muggle air horns they had at that footie match you brought us to!"

"If you don't like the way I sleep then go find somewhere else to sleep!"

"FINE! I WILL!"

And with that he grabbed the pillow and covers from his bed and marched out of the Hospital Wing, with the air of someone who had been done a great wrong.

If James thought that he would then be able to sleep, he was fooling himself. Lily set about fixing her bed (the covers seemed to have been flung across the ward at some point) and muttered to herself as she went along. James groaned (quietly, so as not to be thrown out of the Hospital Wing himself).

By the time Lily had finished muttering, she was seated on her bed, the covers drawn to her chest.

"Where's he going to sleep?"

James groaned again. It was time for "The Guilt Stage."

"He'll be able to find a bed, won't he?"

"The Fat Lady will let him in."

"But he doesn't have a password."

"The Room of Requirement, so."

That seemed to pacify her, for the time being.

"But what if he can't remember how to get in? What if he's still too weak and ends up collapsing in the corridors? What if he DIES? It'd be all my fault!"

"Sirius' a big boy, Lily. He can manage by himself. Sure, wasn't Remus just telling us about how he survived thirteen years of Azkaban and then lived on the run for three years! This is no worse than the time you kicked him out of the house for getting drunk on Christmas Eve!"

Lily stared at him in disbelief.

"I can't _believe_ you just mentioned that! How _dare_ you! Of all the _nerve, _James Potter!"

James resigned himself to that fact that he would not be getting much sleep.

Sirius was in a Predicament, with a capital P. Still fuming with suppressed anger, he wandered the halls of the castle, freezing his arse off and feeling more foolish by the minute. He hadn't meant to insult Lily, he hadn't meant to fight with her at all; in fact, he had forgotten how conflicting their two personalities were. He had conveniently forgotten their quarrels and clashes and screaming matches in the past fifteen years.

And now he had to find a bed for the night. He would have found Remus, except he had no idea if he was even in the castle that night- he tended to come and go. The only sensible place to go was the Gryffindor Common Room. But that posed another question. How to get in? The Fat Lady would never let him in, would she? He would have to smooth talk her into it. Give her some of that Black charm, to make up for the fact that the last time they had come into contact, his knife had come into contact with her canvas. Oh dear, this was going to be difficult.

But amazingly, miraculously, the Fat Lady took one look at him, muttered something about Dumbledore, and swung open to let him in. Sirius thanked his lucky stars and clambered in. He'd forgotten how tired he was, how nauseous it felt to move around for too long. But this left him suddenly when he noticed his only godson was sitting by the fire, staring at him in utter astonishment.

Sirius became aware of the fact that he was standing behind at the opening of the Common Room, wearing only some sort of tunic-thingy Madame Pomfrey had put on him, pillow under one arm. There was also the fact that he had wrapped his duvet around his entire body (including feet) at some point to guard him from the cold, and had hopped all the way from the Hospital Wing to the Common Room. He decided to ignore his appearance in the hope that Harry would too.

"What are you doing up?" If James had been here now, he probably would have laughed at the idea of Sirius Black being concerned and responsible. But Sirius had long ago resigned himself to the fact that he was Harry Potter's guardian, and he would act as such. Except that now, he wasn't needed anymore.

It shamed him, the bubble of jealousy that rose in his stomach at that thought. Harry had his parents back. Lily and James had their son. Sirius had no-one.

"Couldn't sleep."

No, that wasn't true. He had them all. But he didn't really. He wasn't part of that family, _The Potters_. He could get as close as he could, but he could never be one of them. Maybe that was why he and Lily fought so much; they were both vying for a place in the Potter family. Eighteen years ago, or thereabouts, Sirius had graciously stepped out of the running and let Lily win. He had consoled himself with the fact that he would have a godson. A godson who he could spoil and love, and who could come to him when he needed to get away from his parents.

He was startled back to reality by the glistening tears on said godson's cheeks. He had never seen Harry cry, not even after the third task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He realised that _this_ was one of these times where he could be a good godfather, when Harry could come to him when he needed to get away from his parents.

And there Harry sat, drinking in the sight of his first real family.

"Why did you have to go and die on me?"

Oh, God, now Sirius was going to cry. It wasn't right. He shouldn't have died, shouldn't have let Bellatrix beat him. How could he have been so reckless as to leave Grimmauld Place?

"It's all my fault. It was a trap," Harry whispered.

Oh, no, no Harry! He would go anywhere, fight anyone, for this boy. He would charge into that Chamber a million times, if it meant saving Harry. He would jump, sail through that veil; die, any time, for his godson. Why didn't he see that?

"I'm so sorry, Sirius."

No, he couldn't be. It wasn't his fault. Why didn't understand that? Words were spilling from Sirius' mouth, too fast for him to comprehend, but he knew he was saying what he wanted to say, what he felt. He gathered his godson into a tight embrace and they stayed there for a long, long time.

But, all moments must come to an end, and Sirius found himself dozing off, for a good while. It actually probably hadn't been for more than a half an hour, but when he awoke Harry was sitting on the larger armchair nearest the fire, staring into its depths.

"That," Sirius pronounced. "Is a terrible fire. Didn't anyone ever teach you how to stoke a fire?"

"Oh yes, we had a class on that in first year!"

"Don't get smart with me, Potter. You're telling me that the Dursleys made you cook and clean and do all those other meaningless chores, but they never taught you how to get a fire going? _Muggles_!"

"They had an electric fire."

Sirius snorted. "Muggles! Always looking for an easy way out when the practical solution is right in front of their noses!"

"Isn't that wizards?"

"Are we are we not slating your relatives?"

"We are."

"That's my boy!"

An extremely terse silence followed this pronouncement. Sirius decided to ignore it.

"So, fire!" He scooted closer to the fire. "The trick is to arrange the coal in such a way that it doesn't squish the fire. Because then the smoke can't get through and it fills up the room and suffocates everybody in the vicinity."

Harry snorted. "This is obviously the textbook definition," He said sarcastically.

"Hey! This is good life advice I'm giving you here. You arrange coal wrong and you could end up with a catastrophe! Once Moony tried to light a fire in Grimmauld Place, and he got the coal-to-firelighter ratio screwed up and BANG! A smoke-covered room in less than ten minutes! That reminds me, actually. Remember to keep your chimney good and blocked during the holiday season or else that fat Muggle serial killer could get in. What's he called again...The one who rides in a sleigh on the roof and slips down the chimney during the night and murders you in your sleep!"

He couldn't for the life of him figure out why Harry was laughing so hard that he slipped off his chair and onto the floor, and couldn't get up for a good long time.

But sadly, Sirius' enchanting lecture was cut short by the Fat Lady swinging open and the entrance of several…well Sirius didn't have time to see before his vision was obscured by a mountain of thick bushy brown hair. It had seemed the person had run to him so quickly she hadn't even the time to warn him by shouting. And now Sirius was completely winded.

"'ermione," he managed to get out just before a flash of red barrelled into him. "Ginny!"

"Sirius!" He thought he heard them say but their voices were muffled by the duvet still wrapped around him.

He ruffled their hair, and gently extracted the two girls from around his waist. But, of course, as soon as he had gotten them off of him, he was attacked once again! He made a strangled noise as he tried to decipher the flashes of red around him. Somewhere behind him, Harry made a "Gahh!" sound.

Not knowing who exactly he was hugging (and there was definitely more than one redhead clinging to him), Sirius rescued himself by patting each red head and greeting them with a joyful, "Hey you!" and "Weasley!" Harry was still making choking noises behind him that sounded rather humorous. "Mff errff e!" he called, his voice faint and muffled by whoever had now grabbed him. "Aagh! Sumfum elp e! Ermyne!"

"Sorry!" Hermione let go of him quickly. "Oh dear, are you alright?"

Flushed, Harry and Sirius both emerged from the pile of duvets, pillows, and Weasleys they had become entangled in. Mrs. Weasley swooped out of what looked like thin air to sweep Harry into another bone-crushing hug and held him for several minutes. "Oh Harry, we came as soon as we heard! Dumbledore wrote to us only yesterday but we had to get everything sorted out of course, and trying to organise this lot"-she glared at Ron, Fred, George and Ginny behind Harry's back-"but what am I doing, jabbering on about unimportant things! How are you, dear? Are you eating alright? You look pale!"

Nobody else in the room could see how Harry looked pale. On the contrary, he was flushed and breathless, but he decided not to respond. Mrs. Weasley spotted Sirius who was still sitting on the floor, looking quite shell-shocked.

"SIRIUS!" she screeched, letting go of Harry and hurrying over to the newly-resurrected ex-convict. She pulled him into a hug similar to the one Harry had received while still talking at lightning speed.

"Oh Sirius, it's a miracle, isn't it! We thought Harry would never be able to recover after you died, and then we got Dumbledore's letter and came here and he explained to us that it wasn't just you who was back, it was the Potters too! Oh, Sirius I'm so terribly sorry that we got on so badly last year! I kept thinking about how much we fought and I feel so terrible now! Arthur is still with Dumbledore, they're going over Order details as far as I know. But we just had to see Harry! We didn't know you'd be here with him it's such a welcome surprise! And of course we're all dying- oops that's not a good word to use- we're all so _excited_ to meet Harry's parents! Has he met them yet? How are they? You poor thing, you look terrible! But I suppose that can only be expected after-"

"MOLLY!" Sirius shouted. He had been trying to interrupt her for several minutes but she just wouldn't let him! He felt drained and unable to answer her many, many questions.

"Lily and James are in the Hospital Wing," he told her quickly. "I'm sure they would be delighted to meet you!"

Mrs. Weasley's looked sceptical. "But surely they're sleeping! Dumbledore told us that all of you were very ill after your, er, arrival."

"Oh they're fine," Sirius waved his hand dismissively and steadied himself against the armchair behind him. "They've been awake for hours! They're dying to meet you…not literally of course! He said weakly. He felt worse than ever, and his eyes began to droop.

"Well, alright then! Come on you lot! Lets leave these two to some peace!" she shouted. She turned back to Sirius with a concerned, motherly expression. "Are you sure you're alright, Sirius? You're look awfully faint…"

"Fine, fine," Sirius muttered, and shepherded them out of the Common Room. "I just need some sleep."

He collapsed on the couch and fell asleep immediately, snoring softly and shivering slightly.

Harry watched him for a moment, happiness swelling in his heart. Then he tenderly placed a blanket over his godfather and clamoured onto the nearest armchair, where sleep carried him away swiftly and sweetly.


End file.
